1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to notebook or laptop computers, and more particularly to the arrangement of a card slot, which accepts compatible cards for enhancing the computer's functions.
2. Description of Related Art
Shown in FIG. 8 is a conventional laptop computer 80. A display unit 84 is openably attached to a base unit 82 through a connection part 85. A keyboard 86 as an input device is provided at the top part of the base unit 82, and a display 88 is contained in the display unit 84. Such a laptop computer normally has a PC card slot 90 confirming the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard arranged at the side of the base unit 82. The PC card slot 90 is an externally accessible expansion slot to accept a compatible card or a PC card (a small, removable, externally accessible circuit board housing a device such as a modem or disk drive) for enhancing the computer's functions.
Some types of cards protrude from the PC card slot 90, and the card protruding from the PC card slot 90 obstructs the operation of the keyboard 86 and makes it difficult to handle the card since the PC card slot 90 is arranged near the keyboard 86. Shown in FIG. 9 is the laptop computer 80 with a radio wave communication card 92 in the PC card slot 90. U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,672 pointed out that an antenna 93 extending from the side of the base unit 82 can be shadowed by the ground plane of the display 88 decreasing transmission efficiency, and it proposed to a laptop computer with an antenna attached to its cover in order to prevent the transmission efficiency from being lowered. This is, however, complicated and requires much cost.
On the other hand, Japanese Provisional Publication No. 8-153175 proposed a camera card to be inserted into the PC card slot, but if such a PC card type camera is used for the conventional laptop computer, it is difficult to fix the camera and the attached cable is obstructive. If a PC card type electronic camera 95 without a cable is inserted into the PC card slot 90 as shown in FIG. 10, an image pickup part 96 is positioned near the keyboard 86. In this case, the image pickup part 96 is shadowed by the hand of the operator, and this is very inconvenient. For this reason, the conventional laptop computer 80 cannot realize a TV conference system, or the like.